HeartBeat
by Seine
Summary: They say you're always suppossed to remember a heartbeat. Not true, especially when you're me. You can't go back to it, you can't even remember what it is. Think that's bad? Walk into my world. Chapter 2 up
1. Heartbeat

Heartbeat 

_**Heartbeat**_

_They say that the first thing you hear is a heartbeat, from your mother. You're supposed to be able to always go back to that heartbeat, always. That's a lie. When you're me, you can't go back. You can't remember it. You can't even remember who's it was, or who you are. Bad, you think? You have no clue. Take a look into my world, because you don't understand. _

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Prologue: Waking up to a Nightmare

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****I open my eyes, hoping it was all a terrible dream, but I can't even remember what the dream was. I'm feeling a steady beating in my head, and I'm so polluted with painkillers that it's all wobbly and hard to see. I'm laying in a hospital bed, my head wrapped in a bandage. But, I can't remember why. My jacket, or at least I think it's mine, is hanging up above me. It's grey, like a windbreaker over coat. I try to stand up, but it's hard. 

There's an intravenous tube in my arm. I tear it out, and stand up. I was in a hospital, but everything was still woozy. I pull on the coat, and find that in it's pocket was a number on the cover of a pack of matches. 847-6668, and below the number was the name, Miyako. As soon as I get out of here, I'll have to call this person, find out what's going on. Near the bed is a clip board. I read the first line of the chart, only to find...

PATIENT # 6668- KEN ICHIJOUJI

Is that me? Ken Ichijouji? It must be, because I'm the only one who was laying in that bed. I yank the papers of the clip board, fold them, and shove them in my pocket. The hall lights were flickering. It was raining outside, complete with thunder and lightning, and street lights flickered everywhere. I had to get out of here, but I don't know why. I peer out the window of the door. There was no one in the hall, so I took off out the door, despite the sickening whirling of my vision. I slowed down for a minute, and peered around the next corner. There was a dead person on the floor. I ran up to him, and took the pistol laying beside him. There was a voice around the corner. 

" Okay, sir, I'll find patient 6668, and what do you want me to do? Kill him? Alright. I'm going in." 6668. Me. I couldn't let him get me, not before finding what was going on. I leapt around the corner, to find him with a gun as well. I fired, and hit, and shooting felt good for a twisted reason. He was face down on the ground before I could even land. Dead. I turned the corner, after collecting his pistol. For some reason, it feels natural, the cold steel of the hilt, but I know it shouldn't be. I really don't even know how the gun is supposed to help me, but with this guard down, there must be another somewhere...

I continue down the walkway, only to find what seems to be an operating table. Wait... Everything is going blurry... Hey, that girl wasn't standing there before. She had long, lavender hair up in a ponytail. She had glasses, and she was wearing a very familiar outfit. A faded orange-grey vest, a black tank top, black jeans, and running shoes. She looked at me with a grin.

" She's one of them...... Here to......... kill us......" She was blanking out, I couldn't understand her. Then, the girl was gone. I was hallucinating. And badly, at that. I swore that the shine in her eyes was real. I felt the aura off of her, I felt the air up my back, and I felt the pain of trying to remember. It was a bullet shaped hole in my head. I call it a deep wound. I was trying to scrape the pain out, but without pain, what was the pleasure of remembering?

Oh well. I continue through the halls, pushing the door open. I'm in what looks like a reception or waiting room. At least, that's what the sign says. I laugh slightly at my own stupidity. I can't believe I didn't even remember what a reception room was... Seems like I almost lost everything that I had, or might not have had, in my memory. 

Two elevators were on the far right side of the room. I checked out the window. I was up above the main floor, so I'd need to go down. I ran into the elevator, and hit down. I was then forced to listen to crackling mall music. For some reason, I seem to remember hating mall music. I still do. The elevator stopped with an odd ding, sounding like something hit the other side of the elevator. For some reason, I have a terrible feeling in my stomach. 

The door opens, and standing there, is an old man. He had an old derby on, a faded brown trench coat, overalls and an old fashioned shirt. He had a grey beard and white hair. He looked angry.

" What happened here? What went wrong? You screwed up, Ichijouji, you screwed up bad! I've got FIB breathing down my neck because of y- AH!" The man was shot down from another one of those guards. I hide behind the side of the elevator, just inside the doors. There was a propane tank, near the second elevator. It was shot into the elevator beside this one, and exploded. 

I was sent flying, and I hit my head on the side of the elevator. My guns slipped down into a crack. That left me virtually defenseless. Great. Just great. I stand up, and stumble out of the elevator. The guard was gone. I made a dash for the door, and I barely made it. That's the last I remember of it. 

I remember running, but to where, I didn't know. I ended up in a phone booth, dialing the number. After 1 ring, the phone was answered.

" Hello." The other end was a muffled voice I figured I better ask for Miyako. 

" Is Miyako there?" The voice seemed a bit shocked, and it became a woman's voice.

" Meet me at 77 Albert street. Come alone. " She hung up. I was at 56, so it was a short walk from here. I started walking, in the rain, barely realizing that the bandage was nearly falling off. 67, 69, 71... I resorted to counting the numbers of the houses, until I came upon 77. I leaned on the lamp post, until I heard the clicking of someone's shoes. The woman, the same one from the hospital, walked up to me, armed with Duel Desert Eagles, silenced. I blinked.

" With a look and attitude, how come I don't remember you?" I ask, crossing my arms. She laughed. I remember that laugh. It sounded happy, but her voice racked with a sickened sadness.

" Because your memory was taken out. Come with me, and fast." She started to run into an alley. I followed, and we ended up in an apartment building, pretty run down. We went up 3 floors. It looked strangely familiar. She seemed to be watching me.

" Looks familiar? This is our apartment? Remember anything?" She asked. Strangely, I remember the old couch, the Television, the phone, and the apples in the rusted fridge. And I also remember the gun rack under the bed.

" Is the gun rack still under the bed?" She looked at me, and laughed.

" Of course. It's got the rest of your stuff, as well. Do you remember my name?" I thought for a moment. Do I, really? 

" I remember your eyes. I don't remember anything else..." She smiled. 

" My name is Miyako Inoue. And you're Ken Ichijouji, part of the DEA. But, I suggest you go back to the JPD. Japan Police Department. That's where I work. Your memory was erased by someone in this area, a local criminal mastermind. Not sure who, but I suggest we check the old warehouse. There was a report on gun fire, 5 minutes ago. I said I would take it. Do we go?" She asked me. I nodded, grabbing a pump action shotgun, and duel 9mm pistols.

" Let's go." 

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	2. Cleaning Clowns

Heartbeat 

_**Heartbeat**_

She lead me to a motorcycle, completely black with red stripes on the engine. I sat on the back, and she drove, going fast. I thought a few things over. If she's a cop, where is the radio? I seem to remember radios and cops going hand and hand, for back-up. And her attire had ' Rebel ' written all over it. 

Then I started to think about who I was. I can't remember how old I am, and all I know so far, is that my name is Ken Ichijouji. Maybe the papers in my pocket would help, so I would have to check them over completely, but it would have to be later. 

We drove into an old warehouse, and as soon as we parked, we were shot at from the top floor. Miyako pushed me down, behind the bike. 

" Don't we need back-up?" I ask, hoping to get at least one answer. She smiled at me.

" I'm your back-up. Come on, we'll have to find a way in. Be careful. And, watch out for anybody. Anyone could be around the corner, and be faking who they are." I nodded. I looked up to where the gun shots had come from. It looked as if whatever was up there had cleaned itself out, or had just retreated behind the wall, or into another room. We started searching around the warehouse. The doors were all locked, with a code or something. Miyako kept checking them, but I looked into the alley. The fence had been cut, looking as if a break -in had happened in the midst of a different night and had never been seen. 

" Looks like they came in through the fence. I say we follow the alley." Miyako nodded at me, jumping down from the top of a canopy like stall. Suddenly, I remember that cat like leap, and it sparked something, yet I don't know what. Something to do with those eyes. They shone with a different sense. I just followed her, trying to keep focused for now. We turned the corner, making sure no one was around, then slowly creaked open the door. It sounded like a hostage situation from behind an office stall. I whirled around inside with my gun...

Only to find a TV. I clicked it off, and returned to where Miyako was. She had her gun up against a cleaner's head, shoving him into the wall with a bear- like- hand, revealing her pale wrist. A flash of the past hit me... Something about her pale complexion puzzled me. She almost glew with a certain..... Mist. I smiled for a moment, entrapped within that mist, feeling it's cold grip around me already, tightly squeezing my heart, my brain, everything, trying to get me to remember... I snapped out of it to a piercing, high squeal.

" Upstairs, everyone is just waiting for you! You'll never get-" He never got to finish that sentence. Weren't cops not supposed to kill? 

" That was pretty uncalled for..." I stated slowly, not wanting to get a pop in the head. She holstered her gun.

" He touched my butt. No one, not even you, touches my butt. Anyway, looks like we've got a problem on the second floor. Wanna go head first, or covert?" I laughed a bit. 

" What did I used to go?" She leaned on the wall.

" Head On." I nodded, twirling my gun once out of a strange old habit. Head on? Isn't that a little..... Rational? Oh well, better then getting shot, especially by someone as violent as this person, my "partner". Geez, I hope she doesn't miss the target... 

We continued walking down the old warehouse, passing by barrels and barrels of alcohol. This would NOT be a very good place for a shootout, considering the high amounts of alcohol. A spark in one of those barrels could blow it all up. Miyako grabbed one of the barrels that had a crowbar near it. She popped it open. 

It wasn't alcohol. It was straight ammunition. But what type, we had no clue. She took some. 9mm, but it looked different. I loaded some into my gun. If it worked, it'll help. She was taking pockets of it, loading it all into different pouches along her leg and shirt. She loaded a clip into each of her Dual Desert Eagles, and then took some for a Pump Action shotgun. I made a quick note of the barrels: Barrels marked " Vodka " that held thousands of ammunitions, all ready and none blank. A perfect smuggling crime.... but the question was, who was behind it? We already had no leads, because we just got into it. Maybe there'll be more hints...

" Come on, let's go. These thugs are probably armed with this type of ammo. And now, we're even. Let's move." We started to creep up a set of grey stairs, just past a door. 2 thugs dressed like janitors, with the name, Cleaning Clowns, on their backs in orange letters. 

" Listen, Bob, I'm telling you, we've got to get these bodies cleaned up before the cops come, otherwise Vin's gonna kill us!" The other guy nodded.

" Alright, fine Joe, we'll clean it up. But with what? They only gave us guns, for crap sake! What are we supposed to do, shoot them clean??!?" I almost laughed. Geez, what a coincidence... More evidence. Now, all we need is that sign from their backs.... That, " Cleaning Clowns " thing. Hmm, they don't look like clowns. They look like butchers. ( No offence to the butchers ) 

Pop. Pop. Both down in a flash. The ammo pierced and exploded within their skulls. Violent... We quickly ran up the stairs, and checked what the ammo had done.

" The ammo pierced straight through..... We have to stop whatever this is from continuing manufacturing, who knows how much of this they have." Miyako stated. I grabbed a knife that was laying on the ground, and cut the " Cleaning Clowns " Label from their backs. I stuffed it in my back pocket, and we crouch-walked to the door, peering around the corner. 2 more, and a hostage.

" I'm telling you! I work for Velar! I don't have any beef with you guys!" A woman was tied to a chair, screaming at the 2 men who threatened to kill her. The blonde guy laughed.

" Kill her, we don't need no more." Miyako and I burst around the corner, bullets flying. Both men were down, and Miyako covered me from anything else while I untied her. Suddenly, as soon as the last rope fell to the ground, a bomb exploded at the back of the chair, but I couldn't be sure. She was vaporized, and I was sent flying into the wall, Miyako landing on top of me with a thud. We got up. Well, there goes the witness... I shook my head, clearing the red vision I had. Miyako looked just as dazed.

" Okay, so a little mishap.... ow.... Okay, let's keep going. Maybe they took another witness.... Shit, get down!" She pulled me down so hard behind a cabinet I thought she had choke slammed me. We watched as 4 guys swarmed into the room, staring at the chair.

" Well, I guess they got killed in the blast. Hehehe, never knew what hit 'em. Hey, looks like Vin's calling." The main guy picked up the phone, still holding a crowbar. 

" Yeah? Camera? The blast? No could have survived, not even that Cop and the Rebel chick. There is nothing in the room, it's cl-AH!" Miyako stood up, and fired violently, shooting each one square between the eyes. She grabbed the phone, wrote the number down on her wrist, and smashed it. Rebel chick..... I'm confused. What the bloody hell is going on?

" Okay, let's move." She stated, continuing without any sign of stopping. We ran down the hall, and shot at any cleaner that decided to move. We took the elevator down, and became entrapped in a shoot-out between the cops and the cleaners. Miyako took off without me. But not after hording more ammo into her pockets, then she left, probably taking the motorbike with her. I shot a few times, taking out the snipers. The shootout ended when they all ran off. A detective looking woman walked up to me. 

" Looks like you recovered. Are you alright?" I looked at her. She looked very familiar.

" Who are you?" I asked. SHe smirked, her long brown hair tied into a pony tail.

" Hikari Yagami, chief Detective of the JPD. Looks like you've got amnesia."

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Seine: You like? You hate? Please review. Somewhat Max Payne, but not totally. There are different twists.


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